Fighting the War
by Imagine69
Summary: Set sometime during series 7, this is the story of how Frank, Stella and the team defeat another division of KORPS and bring themselves that little bit closer in winning the war against KORPS.
1. Energite

They had occupied every train station. Young men and women dressed in orange singlets and black trousers were handing out free samples of a new caffeinated energy drink. Energite, produce by the new company Villi.

"Villie's Energite, take as many as you need!"

"Energise your day with Energite!"

Among the many commuters was a blonde-haired young man dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase. He passed by one of the tubs and grabbed one of the cans. No one paid him any attention. He as just on of the hundred of people streaming through the stations on his way to work.

Only he wasn't a businessman or an office worker as might be assumed from his appearance. Officially, he was a schoolboy. Unofficially, he was Daniel Morgan, leading field agent of MI High.

As he took his seat on the train, Dan tucked the can into his jacket where it sat, out of sight. Time to get the sample to Tom.

* * *

"This is not good," Tom said, looking up from the microscope. He had done a variety of tests on the new energy drink. "Energite contains a compound very similar to caffeine, but when taken orally, migrates to the brain and interferes with the neurotransmitters. Worse, it appears to have unknown components that potentially allow control of neural function via long wavelength electromagnetic radiation."

There was silence, until Aneisha decided that enough was enough. "So Tom, can we have that again in English?"

Tom frowned, confused at the meaning of Aneisha's request. Luckily, Frank had slowly been decoding Tom's words in his head, and was able to offer a translation. "Basically, Villi, the company producing Energite, had the potential to control the actions and emotions of anyone who drinks it using radio waves?"

"Not exactly," Tom said. "They wouldn't be able to control anyone, just influence their emotions and hormonal release patterns. Even to do that would be extremely difficult, though. There's nothing to say that these proporties of the compound are not accidental. Maybe they thought the new compound just made for really effective caffeine."

"Nevertheless," Frank said. "We need to investigate. Aneisha, Dan, Keri - work out a way to infiltrate Villi. Tom, can you keep working on the compound and finding out exactly how this mind control might work. I"ll call Stella."

The agents nodded their understanding, and went off to fulfil their roles.

"Good luck," Keri said to Frank as he pulled out his phone.

Frank knew exactly what she meant. Good luck getting Stella to talk to him. He certainly needed it.

His heart rate accelerating rapidly, Frank dialed Stella's number.

Stella sounded annoyed, which was not in the least encouraging. "What is it, Frank?"

"I've got a situation, Stella," Frank began, knowing that this would get Stella's attention. He summarised Tom's findings and awaited Stella's orders.

"Get Tom to monitor the others carefully when they go undercover," Stella said. "I'll let HQ know what's going on, then I'll meet you and Tom in the base. Don't do anything dangerous."

"Got it," Frank replied. "And Stella, maybe we could talk - "

But Stella had already hung up.


	2. Getting Inside

By the time Stella arrived at the base, Dan, Keri and Aneisha had worked out how to get into Villi.

There were two targets to infiltrate: the head office and the laboratories. The agents had worked out that the offices were taking high school students for work experience, which allowed a simple enough disguise. The laboratories had them stumped, until Keri found an advertisement calling for volunteers. Villi was looking volunteer test subjects to trial their new drink Electrolite, which was the perfect entry point into the laboratories.

The trouble was, volunteers had to be over the age of 18.

Dan, Keri and Aneisha had already left for the head office, and Tom was sitting at the computer, helping them navigate through to the building. Frank and Stella were engaged in a heated debate over who would be going undercover as a volunteer.

"Frank, this is dangerous. We don't know what the new drink contains!"

"Exactly my point, Stella! I can't let you volunteer for such a risky research trial!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Frank, I can look after myself!"

"Well, so can I!"

Tom, who had been examining the structure of the Energite compound on the computer, suddenly spun in his chair to face them. "There's something you should know."

Frank and Stella froze their argument and turned to face him, wary of his sombre tone.

"The Energite compound, if activated by radio waves, would affect females more than males due to the hormonal effects of - " Tom stopped himself, realising that Frank and Stella didn't need to details. "It affects women more than men. I'm sorry, Stella, but Frank should go."

"That's settled then," Frank said, relieved that Stella wouldn't be running off into danger.

Though she admitted defeat, Stella was thoroughly annoyed and more than slightly worried. She glared at Tom, sending him a look that said _I'll speak to you later_. Tom, unperturbed, sent Frank a look that said _You owe me one._

"I'll get going then." Frank stood up and quickly checked his communications with Tom, then headed towards the lift.

"Stay safe, Frank," Stella said, and Frank nodded his understanding.

"I'll do my best."

The lift doors closed, and Stella felt her heart begin to beat almost painfully at her ribcage. She had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

As a volunteer, Frank was given a carefully measured dose of Electrolite and provided with overnight accomodation, so that he would be ready for test early the next morning. He was pleased by this arrangement, as it gave him the opportunity to investigate the labs.

After having dinner with the other volunteers, Frank excused himself, saying that he would like to take a walk, and made his way towards the laboratories. Grabbing a lab coat on his way up to the lab, he let himself in to every lab methodically, not wanting to miss out on any information. Everything assumed he was just a lab assistant.

After hours of searching, Frank finally found something interesting. He had stumbled upon computer files relating to Villi's activities and future plans. It was too dangerous to analyse them on the spot, but Frank copied them onto his spy pod and sent them to Stella.

"Receive and understood," Stella answered, sounding weary. It was past midnight and the teenagers had been sent home. But with Frank undercover, Stella had remained in the base to provide logistical support. "Now get out of there."

His mission complete, Frank made to exit the lab, but he was suddenly struck by a fit of dizziness. He collapsed, unconscious, on the floor of the laboratory. As he fell, his arm knocked a glass bottle off a nearby bench, and it broke when it struck the ground. The purple liquid spilled all over the ground and began to vaporise.

Next the Frank's unconscious body, the label on the broken glass read: _Concentrated ELX: Volatile, Highly Toxic, Powerful Hallucinogen_._  
_

Back at the base, Stella opened the files and began to read through them. But she'd been in the base for over 14 hours, tense and nervous about Frank's situation, and her exhaustion overcame her. Without registering any of the words on the screen, her eyes closed and she fell asleep at the desk.


	3. This is not good

It was around seven in the morning when Tom and Aneisha arrived at the base. To their surprise, they found Stella fast asleep at the desk, clearly exhausted. Tom was getting ready to test his new gadget for instant alertness, but Aneisha shook her head, and Tom relented.

"Stella?" Aneisha gripped Stella's shoulder and shook her slightly. She didn't stir, and Aneisha shook her a little harder. Stella began to wake up, and it was a testimony to her exhaustion that she didn't immediately leap up and spring into a fighting stance, as agents are trained to do when awoken unexpectedly.

"Have you been here all night?" Aneisha asked gently, as Stella began to stretch, her face twisted in pain as she felt the results of a night of sleep hunched over the hard wooden desk.

As her level of alertness rapidly increased, Stella felt an immense sense of guilt at falling asleep on duty, not knowing exactly why she felt this way. While Aneisha, reading her mind, tried to assure her that it was perfectly normal to rest, Tom revived the computer from its sleep mode and began to scan his eyes over the documents that Frank had found.

"Oh no..."

"What is it, Tom?" Stella asked, immediately concerned. Frank should've been back by now, but hadn't reported in hours. Of course, he was probably asleep, but then it wasn't like Frank to keep her in the dark. Or maybe he felt as if she didn't want to hear from him, and Stella couldn't blame him. She'd been avoiding his attempts to "talk" for a very long time.

"Electrolite contains a powerful hallucinogen. In small concentration, like in the drink, it's relatively harmless but can its side effects are unknown," Tom explained.

Stella took a few paces back, a look of shock across her face. She leaned on the round table for support as her breathing rate skyrocketed. Stella was an expert in hiding her emotions, but Aneisha saw through her facade immediately. Aneisha rubbed Stella's arm reassuringly.

"Stella, Frank only took the dilute version in Electrolite. He's probably fine. Call him now," Aneisha said.

Tom was still examining the files whilst simultaneously trying to get through to Frank's communicator. "Stella, I'm sorry but you have to know this. Two things, actually. Frank's communicator is down, and Villi is a division of KORPS."

Stella was practically hyperventilating by now. Memories of a long-range missile that killed so many of her friends hit her with the force of a battering ram. Her eyes darted around the base frantically, as if searching for some idea of what to do.

"Get my communicator online," Stella ordered. "I'm going out there."

"I'll come too," Aneisha volunteered, and Tom's heart leapt to his throat.

"No, you need to stay here with Tom in case you're needed elsewhere," Stella said, and Tom tried to hide his relief.

Aneisha nodded. "Good luck," she and Tom said at the same time.

"Thank you," Stella said, turning on her heel and striding quickly into the lift. "I'll need it."

* * *

_Frank was running through the dark corridors. They seemed endless, a labyrinth lit only by dim red lamps on the walls. Panting, he turned into a side room and found the main control panel._

_He could hear Hyperia's voice through his headset. "This is not good, Frank. Long-range missile, set to hit London. 30 seconds"_

_His hands hovered over the controls. He was helpless. There was nothing he could do, except..._

_"The blast doors, Frank." This time it was Stella's voice, a tone of farewell and yet of authority that left no room for argument. "Goodbye, Frank."_

_He could see the women, his brave and courageous comrades, on the CCTV monitor. They stood, side by side next the enormous missile, arms goingup in a synchronised salute._

_"I love you, Frank," Stella said._

_Frank's eyes were full of tears and his hand shook over the button controlling the blast doors._

_"I love you too."_

_The blast doors closed, and then there was darkness._

"Give him the antidote." The Crime Minister's voice penetrated the darkness.

A needle penetrated Frank's upper arm, and he slowly regained consciousness. Through blurred vision, he realised that he was in some sort of interrogation room. The instruments of torture scattered around him were not in the least bit encouraging.

Frank, still sweating and shaking from the hallucination, felt a jolt of annoyance that the Crime Minister's voice was the first that he felt upon awakening. This was quickly replaced by relief that Stella's death was just a terrible nightmare.

His relief was short-lived, however, for he was then roughly grabbed and thrown onto some sort of medieval apparatus. He started to panic as his wrists and ankles were tied securely to ropes. He knew what this contraption was.

"You will tell us everything," the Crime Minister declared, as if announcing some important matter. "Or have you limbs stretched until your bones crack and break."

As an MI9 agent, Frank had been trained to resist any sort of interrogation. He had developed his own technique, which he employed now. Frank pictures Stella's face in his mind. He could see her now, her hair flowing down her back in waves, her eyes radiating joy as she flashed one of her rare yet exquisitely beautiful smiles. She gave him strength.

"You won't get anything from me," Frank said defiantly.

The Crime Minister sighed dramatically. "Very well. Let it begin."

The men began to pull at the handles of the rack and Frank felt his tendons stretching painfully. As the pain increased, he gave up on his attempts to suppress his screams and let his lungs burn with his agonised cries. Soon, unconsciousness came upon him, and he drifted gratefully into the depth of darkness.


	4. Where are you?

Tom analysed all the files with lightning speed, sending a map of the Villi building to Stella's spypod, collecting files that could be used as evidence against Villi, and rapidly putting together information to gain an idea of what Villi was up to.

"Stella, I'm sending Aneisha to MI9 HQ with the evidence against Villi's products," Tom explained through the microphone. "She should be able to prevent public access to both Energite and Electrolite from there."

"Acknowledged, Tom," Stella said in reply. She was crouched behind the Villi laboratories building, hidden from sight and examining the map that Tom had sent her. The place looked well guarded, and it would not be easy to find a way in.

"And Stella, Dan and Keri are on their way to help you," Tom said. Indeed, Aneisha had called Keri the moment Stella had gone after Frank, and she and Dan had immediately dropped their schoolbooks to head over to the Villi labs.

"What? No, it's dangerous," Stella hissed.

"Exactly the point, Stella," Dan's voice came through the system, sounding exasperated.

"And it's not an official mission so you can't order us away," Keri added.

"All right," Stella said, not wanting to argue. She continued to examine the map. There were interrogation rooms on the lowest level, underground, and she suspected that Frank would be held there. She desperately hoped that he hadn't been hurt and struggled to put her emotions on hold for the time being to focus in the task at hand.

"Okay, Dan, Keri, I need a distraction. Let me know when you get here, then figure out a way to get as many people as possible to front of the building. I'm going to try and enter from the rear."

"Roger that, Stella," Dan said. "We'll be there in about ten minutes."

And Stella simply had to sit and wait for the time bring, itching to get inside and find Frank.

* * *

When Frank awoke, he was still tied to the rack, but there was no one in the room with him. His shoulders and legs burned as if they were on fire, and his muscles were cramping agonisingly. Nevertheless, nothing seemed to be broken and if it wasn't for the ropes that tied him down, he would be able to move perfectly well. It was probably the Electrolite that had lowered his pain threshold and caused him to pass out before the rack had done any permanent damage.

Regardless, he'd have to get out of here soon before Villi, no, KORPS - he had seen the Crime Minister last night - came up with some cleverer idea to interrogate him.

It occurred briefly to Frank that Stella might realise he was missing and come and find him, but then Stella had been ignoring him for so long that she probably assumed he had gone home after finding the valuable files. No, he was on his own for this one. In a way, he was glad, because should Stella turn up and be captured, Frank would give KORPS all the information they wanted. There was no way he would be able to stand it if Stella was tortured in front of him, and KORPS knew it.

Ignoring the jolts of pain, Frank twisted and strained against the ropes. They'd been tied exceptionally well and Frank was unable to loosen them.

But then the door creaked open and the Crime Minister walked in with a bunch of guards.

"Well, well. Look who's woken up," the Crime Minister jeered. "Get him off the rack. Let's see if a touch of electricity will loosen your tongue."

The ropes were untied and Frank was lifted bodily from the rack and thrown onto the floor. His shoes and socks were ripped from his feet and a rather intimidating probe placed near the balls of his feet.

As the probe touched his feet and the electrical current flowed through, fire coursed through Frank's body and, unable to hold back, he screamed.

* * *

"Stella, we're here," Keri said finally. "We're ready when you are."

"I'm ready," Stella replied. Well, as ready as she ever would be.

"We're setting off the distraction now," Dan said. Through her earpiece Stella heard a distant explosion and the gush of flowing water. Dan and Keri had blown up the giant, can-shaped fountain at the front of the labs.

There was yelling and shouting as guards ran towards the fountain. Taking the opportunity, Stella slipped in through the back of the building and bolted down the stairs towards the interrogation rooms.

"Dan, Keri, get away from the scene," she said as she ran through the corridors, peering into every room in the hope of finding Frank, safe and sound and ready to run.

"Already running, Stella," Dan replied. "Stay safe."

As she ran, as quietly as possible, through the labyrinth of corridors, a sense of mounting helplessness consumed her. Stella had known that the distraction would draw guards away from the interrogation rooms, but surely KORPS wouldn't leave the place completely unprotected. The guards must be elsewhere, and where else could they be but with Frank?

Yet Stella could not find Frank anywhere.

She stopped and leaned against the wall, catching her breath, her eyes darting in every direction. Where could he be?

Then she heard Frank's scream, and she ran.


	5. Out of the frying pan

Stella wasn't thinking when she burst into the room. Of course the Crime Minister would be there - Tom had told her this was KORPS. Of course there would be armed guards - again, this was KORPS. And of course Frank was being tortured - why else would he be screaming out in pain.

But of course, Stella's ability to think logically failed from the moment she heard Frank's cry of agony. Luckily, she regained her senses when she realised that the Crime Minister, her guards and Frank were all staring at her in shock.

"Capture her," the Crime Minister ordered, realising who Stella was. "I want her alive."

Without much choice when faced with half a dozen burly guards, Stella ran. Her heart pounded in her chest as she navigated the corridors, trying to remember where she was on the map. As the footsteps of the guards neared her, Stella heard a gunshot, and a bullet whizzed past her on the left. She vaguely registered that the side of her jacket was becoming soaked in liquid, but with adrenalin pumping through her veins, Stella felt no pain. She had no idea how bad the injury was, but it seemed to be only superficial.

Eventually she managed to find herself cornered between two groups of guards. Luckily for her, it seemed that only one of them carried a gun, and seemed hesitant to use it, considering the Crime Minister wanted her alive. On the other hand, the other five guards carried tasers, which they were perfectly happy to use.

Stella groaned inwardly. This was not what she had in mind.

* * *

His mind spinning in pain and confusion, Frank thought he was dreaming when he saw Stella appear at the door. Then the Crime Minister yelled for the guards to chase her, and Frank's joy at seeing Stella was quickly replaced by fear. Skilled though she was, Stella had no chance against six armed guards. Among his fear, Frank felt a flash of annoyance. What was Stella doing here, placing herself in danger? He would have to speak to her later...if there was a later.

The Crime Minister was used to giving orders, not carrying them out. But with all her guards either outside dealing with the fountain or chasing after Stella, she found herself alone with Frank. She approached him cautiously, picking up the electric probe as if to continue the interrogation.

But Frank's training had taught him to capitalise on any opportunity for victory, and he lashed out with his bare foot, catching the Crime Minister just below the ribs. She dropped the probe, and Frank picked it up and stabbed it at the back of her neck. As she screamed in pain, Frank, still dizzy and unsteady on his feet, ran out the door.

Somehow, the corridors were empty and Frank managed to find the back door, stumbling up the steps into the sunshine. As he crawled into the open, two pairs of strong arms helped him stand and began to lead him away from the building.

"It's okay, Frank, we're taking you to the MI9 hospital," Dan was saying. He and Keri had been watching the entrances to the building in case they were needed. They had seen Frank clamber out the back door, and bolted to his side.

Keri was speaking into her earpiece, telling Tom that they'd found Frank and to send them a vehicle.

"Frank, where's Stella?" Keri asked.

Something clicked in Frank's brain, and everything was suddenly clear. "She's still inside," he said urgently, trying to turn as if to go back in. "She needs help."

Normally Frank would easily be able to slip out of Dan's grasp, but after the interrogation, Dan's strong grip was too much for him to escape from.

"The guards have fixed the fountain and they're heading back inside," Dan said firmly. "I'm sorry, Frank, there's nothing we can do."

"We'll regroup and get you rested, then we'll get her out," Keri promised.

* * *

Just as the guards advanced in Stella from all sides, a distant cry of agony echoed through the corridors. It was the Crime Minister.

The guards turned for a moment, distracted, and Stella took the opportunity to disarm one of the guards and use his taser to attack all the guards, spinning around like a ballerina as she zapped them all from behind.

As they struggled to recover, Stella leapt over one of the guards and raced for the exit, ignoring the bleeding wound in her side and the salty tears that leaked from her eyes. She had failed Frank, and was running for her own life now.

Stella raced out of the building and kept on running until she merged into a crowd at a nearby shopping centre.

"Tom, I'm out and safe," Stella said into her earpiece, her voice choked with tears and the beginnings of pain. The effect of adrenalin was wearing off and her wound was beginning to hurt.

"Stella, thank goodness!" Tom answered, sounding relieved. "Dan and Keri have Frank, they're taking him to hospital."

A million thoughts flew through Stella's head, and she was almost dizzy with relief. Or maybe she was dizzy from blood loss, for it amounted to the same thing.

"Thanks, Tom, I'll meet them there," Stella answered.

Stella pulled out her phone and called for an MI9 vehicle. She hoped Frank would be alright.


	6. At the hospital

Stella refused to be supported by the driver when they arrived. Instead, she slipped out of her seat and raced into reception, waving her ID around.

"I'm here to see Agent Frank London, admitted a few minutes ago," Stella said to the bewildered receptionist.

"Shouldn't you be in A&E, Ma'am?" the receptionist asked, seeing the dark patch of blood at Stella's side. Ignoring Stella's objections, she caleld for a doctor, and two doctors in white coats emerged from a side room.

They saw Stella's injury, and ushered her deeper into the hospital to treat her. Annoyed but too weak to protest, Stella allowed herself to be seated onto the wheelchair and pushed into the crisp white corridors of the MI9 hospital.

* * *

In the back of the van, Keri was trying to reason with Frank, who wanted to go back for Stella.

"She came to get me, we can't just leave her!"

"Frank, there's nothing we can do!" Keri sounded helpless and at the end of her tether, and Dan badly wanted to reach over to comfort her. But Frank was sitting between them, and Dan was busy listening in to the comms anyway. Not much was happening, except for Tom's regular encouragements to Aneisha, who was dealing with the politicians up at MI9 headquarters.

Then he heard Stella speaking to Tom. Stella was safe! She sounded breathless, but that was to be expected from someone who had just run away from a bunch of KORPS guards.

"Frank, Stella's safe," Dan said excitedly. "She's meeting us at the hospital."

Frank visibly relaxed. "Thanks, Dan," he said.

He settled down and, much to Keri's relief, calmly sat through the rest of the trip to the hospital.

Upon arrival, Frank was immediately overpowered by four doctors, who set about performing a number of tests. Dan and Keri waited outside anxiously, hoping that there was no permanent damage.

Dan was sitting on the hard bench, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. Keri had, at first, attempted to sit next to him, but was so nervous that she was unable to sit still. She resorted to reading the first aid charts and anatomy posters that hung in the corridor. Of course, she wasn't taking in any of the information.

"I hope he's okay," Keri said quietly as she gave up on reading the wall charts to sit back down next to Dan.

Dan uncrossed his arms and laid his right arm across Keri's shoulders.

"This is Frank we're talking about. He's been through tougher situations. He'll be fine," Dan said, hoping his tone was encouraging.

The door creaked open, and Dan and Keri jumped to their feet as Frank emerged, looking weak and tired, but walking on his own.

"No lasting damage," he announced with a smile. "Though I've been placed on rest leave for two weeks," he added with a scowl. He never liked taking time off work.

Dan and Keri had huge smiles plastered on their faces by now, and stepped forward to share a gentle but enthusiastic hug with Frank.

As they pulled back, Frank's smile was suddenly replaced by a frown.

"Where's Stella? Shouldn't she be here by now?"

* * *

Stella hissed in pain as antiseptic was applied to her wound. The bullet had simply skimmed the surface layers of her flesh, furrowing its way past her side without becoming embedded in her body. Nevertheless, the wound was deep and she had lost a lot of blood while she was, to use the doctor's words, "running around like a rogue child".

The blood loss probably explained her overall weakness, and though the doctor admitted her to overnight observation, Stella insisted upon going to find Frank. They wanted to provide her with painkillers, but Stella refused, saying that she wanted to remain alert and that she could deal with the pain. Stella's high rank won over the doctors, and they let her roam the hospital to find Frank, on the condition that she did not leave the hospital until she had been signed out by a doctor.

Tom had kept all communications open, and she used the system now to contact Dan and Keri.

"Dan? Keri? I'm at the hospital, where are you now?"

It was Keri who responded first. "Level 2, outside room 205."

"I'll be there in a few minutes. How's Frank?" Stella asked. There was a scuffle in the background.

"Hello? Stella? Are you alright?" Frank's voice had never sounded so beautiful. Apparently he had seized Keri's communicator from her, which explained the scuffle Stella had heard.

"I'm fine, I'm coming down to meet you. In fact, I'm coming out of the lifts...now."


	7. Regroup, then keep on fighting

The first thing Frank noticed was Stella's hair. It was falling down in curls, and not tied up into a strict bun as it usually was. Then he noticed her expression, mingled with relief and tiredness, but gracing him with a rare smile. Finally, he noticed the bandages around her ribs, tinged red with blood that she had lost despite being stitched up by the doctors.

"You said you were fine!" Frank nearly yelled.

"I am," Stella replied coolly. "How are you?"

"I happen to have been diagnosed with 'no permanent damage' and two weeks' rest break!" Frank answered, calming down a little so that his voice became gentle and full of concern. "What did you do to yourself? You shouldn't have come to find me. Was it KORPS? I'm going to destroy them!"

"Frank, calm down," Stella said, walking forwards to approach him. Raising herself slightly on her toes, she reached forwards and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Desperate to hold her, but not wanting to cause her any pain, Frank gingerly placed his arms around Stella, one hand running up and down her back, the other tangled in her hair. With a start of surprise, Frank realised that Stella was shaking rather noticeably, and he felt the fabric of his shirt becoming damp. Overcome by relief, Stella was crying silently into Frank's shoulder, and he could do nothing but hold her gently. At the same time, his own vision became blurry as he, too, as struck by immense relief along with a sliver of guilt. Stella had been hurt rescuing him, and he'd probably never forgive himself.

"It's not your fault," Stella murmured, as if reading his mind.

"It's not yours either," Frank replied, without needing to read her mind.

Dan was watching from the sidelines, rather confused. Luckily, Keri possessed a bit more tact, and grabbed his sleeve to drag him into a nearby corridor, providing Frank and Stella with a little privacy.

When both of them had calmed down somewhat, Frank and Stella sat down on the bench that Dan and Keri had vacated and exchanged stories. Stella was shocked to hear that KORPS were using such medieval techniques. Frank had avoided the details, but Stella's tears began to flow once more when she pictures the amount of pain that he must have experienced. She would never forget his screams, she told him. They would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Frank wasn't surprised to hear that Stella had refused to take painkillers, but was also thoroughly annoyed. Though she hid the pain well, Frank could tell that every movement was agony for Stella, and he was all the more touched that she had come to find him in the hospital just now.

It was along while later before they realised that Dan and Keri had disappeared. According to Tom, they had returned to base, which was why their communicators were offline.

Frank announced that he would be staying in the hospital overnight, because he'd be too distracted to rest if he was at home, but Stella knew that he was staying to keep her company, and she was very grateful.

But hospitalised or not, the two senior agents were still needed by MI9, and Tom had been through all the Villi files to retrieve startling information. Once Aneisha had returned from HQ, she and Tom had come straight to the hospital to explain what they knew, dragging Dan and Keri back with them.

"Energite offers the ability to influence the decisions that someone makes. Electrolite is a powerful hallucinogen," Tom explained. Aneisha had instructed him to use simple, everyday language, and since Tom didn't know what that was, she had made him go through his explanation with her on the way to the hospital. As a result, everyone could understand him now.

Tom continued. "But that's not all. Currently Electrolite simply causes the mind to relive more painful versions of past experiences, but Villi are working on being able to control these hallucinations. That's why they needed volunteers to test the drink. Once that gets done, they'll be able to pretty much control the thoughts and actions of anyone who has taken both drinks."

"Currently about half the country has had a drink of Energite," Aneisha supplied.

"Exactly," Tom said. "And the active compound doesn't get excreted from the body. It's fat soluble and is taken up by adipose tissue in the form of 3-phophoglycer- ."

Aneisha hit him across the shoulder.

"What I mean is," Tom amended. "There's no cure for the Energite compound. you only have to drink a mouthful once in your lifetime to be susceptible to Villi's influences."

"Luckily, we've blocked Electrolite from the market," Aneisha said. "But Villi could easily slip the compound into another drink, perhaps by another company. It doesn't even have to be an energy drink - it could just be some other food or drink product."

Frank and Stella took in the information and slowly nodded. This was not sounding good.

"So on the way here, we came up with a plan," Dan interjected, sensing that Tom and Aneisha had finished their explanation. "Keri and I planted monitoring devices when we infiltrated the Villi offices the other day. Tom's going to keep monitoring those and try and work out what Villi's up to at the moment."

Tom nodded when Frank and Stella looked at him. "I've got it covered," he said.

"Aneisha, Keri and I are going to visit the stations and public places and get as many samples of free products as possible so Tom can check them from Energite or Electrolite compounds," Dan continued. Frank and Stella clearly approved so far.

"In case you're wondering," Keri put in. "You two are going to stay here and rest, or go home and rest, or whatever. You need to recover."

Frank and Stella didn't like this part.

"What gives you the right to give the orders?" Stella asked.

Keri smiled. "While you two were debriefing each other, Dan and I went to see the doctors and find evidence to put you off active duty. So you two get to rest."

Stella groaned. These agents were clever. She just hoped they weren't planning anything dangerous.

Dan took a deep breath to finish off explaining the plan. "Then Keri, Aneisha and I are going to infiltrate the Villi labs again and try and shut them down from the inside."

"What?" Frank nearly shouted.

"That's far too dangerous!" Stella exclaimed. "Absolutely not."

"We'll let you know if we need to," Aneisha said quickly, trying to appease them. "We'll just to the intel monitoring of the offices and the station freebie picking-up for now."

Frank and Stella established eye contact with each other, had a short, wordless conversation through looking at each other, and reluctantly agreed.

"But nothing beyond low-risk activity without our permission," Frank said firmly. "Good luck."

The four young agents left the hospital with instructions for their superiors to rest well.

"They'll be fine," Stella said to Frank. "They're well-trained and not prone to taking unnecessary risks."

"I know, Stella," Frank said. "I'm not worried about what they'll do. I'm worried about what KORPS will do."


	8. Up in the air

Tom had programmed the spypods to detect certain compounds in the vicinity. Unfortunately, Tom's new spypod upgrade had the illicit compound alert going off non-stop whenever Dan, Keri and Aneisha entered an air-conditioned public place.

"Tom, either London's full of drug dealers, or you code has a problem," Aneisha said into her earpiece, walking out of a shopping centre where her spypod wouldn't stop lighting up.

"I'm telling you, Neish, there's nothing wrong with the program!" Tom voice was indignant.

Dan decided that this had gone on long enough. After a day of public area surveillance, he was sick and tired of seeing that blinking red light on his spypod. "Tom, we'll send you the data from the illicit compound detector. Work out what's going on."

"Thanks, Dan," Tom said, grateful that he had the chance to prove his worth as a creative gadget designer. Three folders appeared on the computer. "Received and analysing. May as well have you three back here I suppose."

"On our way," Keri said. She hailed a cab, and they all climbed in.

* * *

Dan, Keri and Aneisha walked out of the lift to find Tom at the computer, a variety of 3D crystal structures rotating on the screen. To their surprise, Frank and Stella were also present, looking healthy but extremely worried.

"Guys, this is bad and I thought I'd explain to everyone at the same time," Tom said. He saw Aneisha open her mouth to talk but cut her off, "I promise I'll talk in English."

Aneisha nodded and closed her mouth.

"Okay, the reason your spypods were going off was because there is a compound in the air conditioning system that is very similar to the Electrolite compound. We call this chemical EX37." Tom paused, checking to see that everyone was following. They all nodded, and Tom continued, "EX37 binds to oxygen gas and is absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs. When EX37 and the Energite compound combine in the blood, it pretty much gives Villi complete control over that person's thoughts. All they have to do is encode thoughts and ideas into radio waves and get the people who have taken both compounds to listen to them."

Keri nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. "So this pretty much gives KORPS thought-control power. So what's with Electrolite?"

"That's something else I've been thinking about," Tom said. He waved his hand in the air and a middle-aged man with a goatee and small, beady eyes appeared on the screen."This is Tempus Occipit. He's a rogue scientists, employed by Villi to create a compound that can be ingested to produce powerful hallucinations. Combined with EX37 and the Energite compound, it would give KORPS control of people's actions as well as their thoughts."

Frank was becoming more and more concerned as Tom was speaking. KORPS was wielding a lot of power. He glanced to his side an found Stella listening to Tom intently, her expression unreadable. She was feeling guilty, Frank knew. It wasn't her fault that MI9 failed to detect this earlier, but she still felt guilty that they hadn't prevented this situation from occurring.

"Stella, it's not your fault," Frank said quietly, so that only Stella could hear.

Stella turned her head to look up at Frank, surprise and gratitude flowing from her eyes. She nodded and turned her attention back to Tom.

"Frank was given an antidote to the Electrolite compound," Stella said. "Is there an antidote for the EX37 and Energite combination?"

"I'm working on one," Tom said. "But it could take weeks, and KORPS will probably have encoded some crazy ideas into radio waves by then. However, Tempus has an antidote. Problem is - we don't know where it is.."

This was what Dan was waiting to hear. Tom had spent long enough going through the current situation, but this information was something they could act on, and Dan was itching for the chance to fight back.

"Okay, so Neish, Keri and I will go find Tempus and follow him around for a bit, and we'll bring some of those gadgety USBs so Tom can hack into anything we come across," Dan said.

Aneisha and Keri nodded in agreement, looking to Frank and Stella for approval.

"I don't know," Stella said. "It's highly dangerous."

"We have to stop Villi from taking control of the country!" Keri cried.

"Stella, we have to let them do this," Frank said, and Stella nodded her understanding. Frank turned to his team. "Be careful, and look after each other."

He received three determined nods before Dan, Keri and Aneisha headed into the lift, determined to get the antidote out before KORPS started sending out thought-controlling radio waves.

It was a race against time.


	9. Disaster

Tom slammed his hands on the table in frustration.

"Turn your phone on silent when tailing rogue scientists, Keri! How can you even call yourself a spy?" Tom yelled.

Keri hung her head, ashamed. They'd come so close to retrieving the antidote. They'd followed Tempus to his private, KORPS-funded lab, and plugged one of Tom's special USBs into the the system. Tom's program was halfway through unlocking the safe when Keri's phone went off. Trina was calling.

Of course, Tempus and a couple of burly guards came rushing in, and they'd abandoned the mission. Dan and Keri managed to fight off a few guards and escape, but Aneisha was captured.

Noticing Stella's grim expression and Tom's fury, Dan decided that it would be prudent to get Keri out of the way for now, and dragged her to the lift. Maybe he could drop her off at Libi's for the time being.

Once Keri had left the base, Tom had no one else to blame for the disaster and set about typing furiously at the computer, trying to hack into the security cameras at Tempus' lab.

Frank was pacing, as he always did when he was stressed but had nothing constructive to do. Stella watched, feeling almost dizzy at Frank's constant movements. She had Flopsy on her lap, and was stroking him without looking, regularly missing the rabbit and hitting her hand into the desk beside her. The pain didn't even register. Her thoughts were on Aneisha.

"I'm in," Tom said quietly. Frank and Stella both rushed to the computer immediately. They moved so quickly that Frank's shoulders ached in protest, still healing from his escapade with Villi. Stella's side throbbed painfully, the bullet wound far from healed. Yet neither noticed, because Tom's hacking skills had revealed that Aneisha was tied up in a chair,and unharmed. Tempus was in the room with her, working at a lab bench and apparently being insulted by Aneisha, because he looked offended every time Aneisha's mouth moved. When Tempus wasn't looking her way, Aneisha's eyes kept darting to the left-most bench, where her pencil communicator had been placed.

"We have to get her out," Frank said. He even began to move towards the lift, but Stella stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Tom has an idea," Stella said in response to Frank's indignant expression.

Tom was slightly surprised that Stella knew what he was thinking, but quickly shifted his focus to the task at hand. "Tempus is working with the power packs," Tom explained, pointing at the screen. "And I can hack into the lab power system, which won't affect the main power - the lights and stuff - but Tempus will have to go to the main control room. I'm betting on the fact that he doesn't know about Aneisha's knot-untying skills, and Aneisha can grab her communicator from the bench and we can go from there."

"Do it," Frank said, and Tom needed no further encouragement. His fingers flew across the keyboard, and within minutes, Tempus seemed to cry out in frustration and run out of the room towards the main controls. Aneisha looked slightly confused, but easily escaped the clumsy ropes and grabbed her communicator, preparing to call Tom.

"Tom?" Aneisha said. Tom had never been so relieved to hear her voice.

"Neish, thank goodness you're okay," Tom said, "I've hacked into the system. Follow my directions and get out of there."

"Got it."

Tom fed instructions through the communicator while Frank and Stella watched the screen intently. Tom was guiding Aneisha towards the nearest exit, setting off various distractions - ringing phones, flashing lights, fire alarms - to divert the guards.

"Now take the next left..."

Aneisha turned right and broke into a run.

"No, Neish, I said left," Tom said.

"I know," Aneisha replied calmly. "I'm going for the antidotes. Keep distracting the guards."

Tom swore under his breath, much to Stella's disapproval. "How did she know I was distracting the guards?" Tom asked.

Frank exchanged a look with Stella. "Tom, Aneisha knows you better than anyone else," Frank explained. "Of course she knows you're distracting the guards."

Tom's program got through the safe quicker than the first time, even though the code had been reset after Dan, Keri and Aneisha had been discovered. Aneisha grabbed the three bottles and continued to the exit, followed Tom's instructions this time.

"I've sent a vehicle your way," Stella said as she took the microphone from Tom. "Blue station wagon, number plate 56 UT 92."

"Yep, I see the car. Thanks, Stella," Aneisha said, slightly breathless. "And thanks, Tom. See you soon."

Tom slumped back in his set in relief, and Frank and Stella sat down as well. Aneisha was on her way back.

* * *

Aneisha was met by Frank n the school yard when she arrived, and was immediately pulled into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Frank said as he pulled back, and took the antidote bottle from her.

"You worry too much," Aneisha answered playfully.

They headed into the base, where Dan, Tom, Keri and Stella was waiting. Aneisha didn't see much of the base before Keri hugged her tightly, apologising profusely. Aneisha forgave her immediately, though she warned against repeated the mistake of leaving her phone on. Dan hugged Aneisha briefly as well, expressing his relief that she was safe.

Then Tom approached her, and Aneisha was drawn into a tight embrace that lasted for what seemed like an eternity, before Dan coughed loudly and they drew back.

Stella's quiet voice broke the companionable silence. "Frank, where am I?"

Frank turned to her, startled. "Stella, what's wrong? You're in the M.I. High base. What's wrong, Stella?"

"Frank." Keri drew Frank's attention to a yellow-brown liquid seeping through Stella's blouse on her left side.

Dan pulled open his spypod to examine the liquid.

"The bullet must have been doused in Electrolite," Dan said, eyes wide open in shock at the evidence on his spypod screen.

Stella had her eyes fixed straight in front of her, staring at something that only she could seen. Her face was fixed in shock and pain. "Hyperia," she whispered.

"No, no, no," Frank was saying, "You're hallucinating, Stella! Stella, stay with me! It's Frank. It's me."

All of a sudden, Stella's whispers turned to screams. "No, Hyperia! Frank, not you too! Frank!"

Stella had been leaning forward on the table, and Frank caught her as she collapsed. He lowered her to the ground and looked up at the others helplessly.

"Is there an antidote?" he asked softly, his voice almost as whisper. "There must be antidote," he was pleading.

"Aneisha brought one back for Electrolite, but I need to dilute it carefully," Tom explained. "Should take about an hour."

"Tom, this stuff's brutal! It brings back your worst memories - we can't leave her like this for an hour! She's unconscious to us but she's reliving horrible versions of already horrible memories!" Frank cried.

Tom shrugged in helplessness and apology and grabbed the bottle to head into Frank's mini-lab.

"Frank, Tom will do his best," Aneisha said gentle, kneeling down next to Tom. She could see that Stella's eyes were darting in their sockets even though her eyelids were closed. "Hold on to her, Frank. It'll help."

Of course, Frank listened to Aneisha. He held Stella on his lap, whispering to her as if she could hear him, praying that Tom would hurry with the antidote.

Villi would pay for this, Frank decided resolutely. He would make them pay.


	10. The worst day of her lifegone worse

_"Frank!" Stella yelled, her voice a shrill cry of desperation._

_She was on surveillance for the mission, watching the LCD screen intently. She could see and hear the team as if she were with them, and she wished desperately that she was. But she was here at HQ, miles from her friends and comrades, and worst of all, they hadn't given her access to comms, so she could only whisper frantically at the indifferent screen as if Frank, Hyperia and the others could hear her._

_The KORPS base was deserted, and a long-range missile warming up. But that wasn't all - the base had been booby-trapped. Hyperia had lost her life to a laser beam through the heart, oblivious to Stella's screams of anguish as she watched her friend perish, twenty miles away. Frank had been injured by a falling a lead ball and was now limping through the mission. Her heart in her mouth, Stella watched, helpless and frightened, hoping he and the remaining members of the team could stop the missile and get out alive._

Dan had been monitoring Villi's communications whilst Tom worked on the antidote for Stella. He did not like what he was hearing. He turned to Frank, seeing that he was still on the ground, cradling Stella in his arms. Dan changed his mind, and decided to tell Tom first.

"Tom."

"Dan, I'm busy," Tom said as his right hand hovered steadily over a microcentrifuge tube, a micropipette in his hand.

"Tom, Villi have encoded instructions to walk to the banks of the nearest river into a radio transmission that they plan to send over Squizzle FM in an hour's time." Dan said evenly, not wanting to surprise Tom and have him mess up what he was doing.

"Blackmail material," Tom said, understanding immediately. "Millions of people about to jump into a river. KORPS could ask for anything."

"Exactly. Tom, I'm sorry. Stella's important, but we serve the greater good," Dan said. "We need the antidote for the EX37 and Energite mixture."

"Dan, can you get Frank in here to help me?" Tom asked. "With his help we can get both antidotes sorted in time."

"Got it," Dan said, nodding, and turned to fetch Frank.

* * *

Dan had expected Frank to be highly reluctant to leave Stella alone. But Frank knew that Stella would be furious with him if he didn't help Tom with the antidotes, so he went without argument. He got Dan to place Stella on a stretcher so she'd be more comfortable (as if she were conscious to the real world) and disappeared into the adjoining room to help Tom.

Aneisha, coming back from a toilet break, was annoyed to discover that Frank was needed in the makeshift lab. This couldn't be good for Stella's current hallucination.

_Stella watched the screen in anticipation. Frank was making his way, very cautiously, to the main control room where he might have a chance of disabling the missile. He limped in the room and approached the computer, beginning type frantically on the keyboard._

_"Come on, Frank," Stella urged under her breath._

_Stella saw it before Frank did, on the large LCD screen in HQ. The door to the main control room was closing on its own._

_"No, Frank, get out!" Stella cried, as if Frank could somehow hear her._

_Almost as if he did, Frank turned and looked a the door. It was deadlocked now, and some sort of gas was leaking into the room from all four walls, engulfing Frank in its midst. There was no doubt that this was toxic._

_Frank looked directly at the camera and saluted. Stella wanted to punch from the screen and pull him to safety._

_"If you can hear me, Stella," Frank said into his microphone, guessing correctly that Stella was on surveillance. "I love you."_

_The room filled with thick smoke and Frank was obscured from view, never to be seen again._

_"I love you too," Stella whispered, her eyes full of tears and her throat hoarse from screaming at the uncaring LCD screen. She didn't even notice when the rest of the team, trapped by the blast doors that Frank had managed to close, were incinerated by the missile._

"Okay, the Electrolite antidote's good for Stella," Tom said to Frank, who was busy finishing off the EX37 and Energite antidote.

"Thanks, Tom," Frank said. "This one's done too."

They swapped bottles, and Frank took Tom's Electrolite antidote into a syringe.

"Tell Dan and Keri to get the other antidote through the air at as many public places as possible," Frank said to Tom, who nodded and walked away.

Frank took the loaded syringe and grabbed a first aid kit, walking quickly into the main room where Stella lay. She was quiet and unmoving, but salty tears leaked from her closed eyes. Frank didn't want to think about what she was experiencing.

It was a miracle that his hands were steadied when he injected the antidote into her vein, dabbing away the blood with a piece of cotton and applying a firm bandage. He sat back and waited. The antidote should take effect as soon as it got through her system and she would wake up.

Anticipation and dread filled Frank's heart as he wondered what Stella had seen and heard and felt. _I'm going to destroy Villi_, Frank thought. _i'm going to give them what they deserve._


	11. Safe

"Frank?" Stella's voice was weak. She tried to sit up, and Frank put a hand behind her back to help her.

"It's okay," Frank said quickly. "You're safe. You're in the M.I. High base."

"You're alive," Stella said, with disbelief staining her voice. Fresh tears cascaded from her eyes as she reached out to touch Frank's cheek. "Or am I dead?"

"Stella, we're both alive, we're fine," Frank assured her, wiping away her tears with his free hand. "When you were injured at the Villi labs, the bullet was dosed with Electrolite. You've been hallucinating."

Stella closed her eyes for a moment, as if bringing herself back to the present. "You're real," she whispered, and Frank nodded.

"Hyperia..." Her voice was almost hopeful.

"I'm sorry," Frank said, and the glimmer of hope disappeared from Stella's eyes. "She was killed along with the rest of the team, the last time we fought KORPS. You remember?'

Stella nodded and the tears seemed to flow all the more quickly. Frank reached for and took her in his arms, holding her as she cried and cried. Her tears flooded into Frank's shirt, ten years late, as fresh pain assaulted her and she dissolved into Frank's embrace.

* * *

Tom had arranged for as many SWAT teams as possible to help out with the distribution of the Ex37/Energite antidote. Dan, Keri and Aneisha joined the main team to get the antidote throughout London.

The operation had run entirely smoothly and they'd sent the rest of the team back to HQ, with Dan, Keri and Aneisha heading back to base. However, on their way, Tom called.

"Guys, remember the listening devices you planted at Villi HQ?" Tom said through the communicators. "Well, they're just had the weekly vacuum..."

"Don't tell us," said Aneisha, "The listening devices got sucked up. Tom, you have to improve on your gadget design!"

"I know, I know," Tom sounded annoyed. "But I need you three to go replant some bugs so we can keep an eye on Villi."

"Gotcha, Tom," Dan said. "On our way."

Dan, Keri and Aneisha slipped into the offices relatively easily, disguised as IT support (Tom had hacked into the Villi system and thrown in one of his own viruses). While they three of them walked around the office pretending to fix each computer (with Tom actually undoing his handiwork back at base), they dropped more of Tom's carpet-strand listening devices.

Tom's signal that the bugs were planted satisfactorily was to fix up the Villi computer system. Once Dan ran the final scan and found the system all-OK, the three of them took their leave.

On their way out, the alarm went off. Figuring that Villi finally worked out who they were, Dan, Keri and Aneisha broke into a run. As the guards drew nearer, Keri fell back slightly and yelled at Dan and Aneisha to keep running. She turned, and began to engage the guards in hand-to-hand combat.

Dan turned around and stopped, rushing as if you help Keri, but Aneisha pulled him away.

"Dan, I'm sorry, there's too many of them," Aneisha said.

Aneisha continued to drag Dan towards the exit where they were to wait for their pick-up vehicle. Dan slumped to the ground and put his head in his hands. Aneisha, feeling rather helpless, pulled out her communicator to report to Tom.

* * *

Once Stella had calmed down somewhat, Frank released his grip slightly, pulling back to look her in the eye. Her eyes were red from crying and she looked more vulnerable and innocent than ever. Something stirred in Frank's chest, an overwhelming protective instinct that filled him up and made him feel as if steam was coming out of his ears.

"What did you see?" Frank asked quietly.

Tears began to well up in Stella's eyes again and she began to talk. She hadn't opened up like this to anyone since...over a decade ago, and the experience was frightening and overwhelming. Stella was exceptionally glad that it was Frank who was with her, and no one else. She trusted Frank.

Frank was nearly crying as well by the time Stella got to the end of her narrative. He'd guessed that Stella was revisiting the KORPS assault when Electrolite first began to take effect on her, but he hadn't known exactly what distorted memory she'd been experiencing.

Stella's graphic description of his death didn't bother Frank at all. It had taken some coaxing to get this part out of her, with Stella being worried that hearing about his own death would upset him. But this part of the tale seemed to upset Stella the most, and Frank had persisted, arguing that he was only upset that she could be so upset about something and not tell him what it was. More than anything, Frank was touched that his death would feature in Stella's worst nightmare, and thoroughly annoyed and somewhat guilty that this could be so distressing to Stella.

Eventually, Stella's tears subsided and she managed to compose herself enough to get back to the mission. Frank kissed her tenderly on the cheek and helped out her, sitting her on a chair and insisting on redressing the wound in her side while she refamiliarised herself with the mission.

* * *

Dan had been sitting on the rock-hard concrete for twenty minutes, picturing horrible scenarios concerning what had happened to Keri. Aneisha paced around him, unable to offer any comfort.

"She sacrificed herself for us," Dan said softly, his voice full of pain. "She felt guilty when you got captured."

Aneisha couldn't help but feel that Dan's tone was a little accusatory, but she ignored it. Dan was too distressed to be thinking clearly right now.

"We have to get her out," Dan said, his voice full of steely determination. "We can get back, regroup, get geared up..."

"Too late." A voice spoke from behind them.

Dan jumped to his feet and spun around, only to see Keri, looking tired but wearing a huge smile.

"Keri, are you all right? How did you get out?" Aneisha cried as she hugged her friend, then stepped back, making room for Dan.

"They weren't very good fighters," Keri replied with a smile.

Dan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Keri, his relief so immense that he lifted Keri off her feet and spun her around.

"Dan!" Keri squealed.

The vehicle chose that moment to arrive, so they all clambered into the van, rather awkwardly because Dan refused to let go of Keri's hand.

"Neish, can you report to Tom?" Dan asked.

"On it," Aneisha replied. "Tom? Keri's safe and with us. We're on our way home."


	12. All's well that ends well

Frank and the team were waiting patiently for Stella to return from her meeting with the Primer Minister. Frank was tampering with his latest gadget, while Tom tapped away at the keyboard, playing another of his computer games. Dan had cleared some space and was practising backflips, while the girls were trying to train Flopsy to roll over.

The moment the lift doors open, everyone dropped what they were doing to hear the verdict. Stella was smiling. This was good.

"The PM is very pleased with your conduct," Stella announced. "He sends you his thanks for saving the country and his congratulations on excellent performance."

It was rare for the team to receive such high praise from the Prime Minister. Usually, it involved was just a simple "the PM approved of your actions" or "the PM wants you fired". Considering this mission had involve so much unauthorised fieldwork, this was an excellent result.

"Oh, and apparently the PM wants to reward you." Stella produced four small coloured pieces of cardboard, giving one to each teenager.

"Ice cream vouchers!" Keri squealed.

Dan wrinkled his nose. "He's treating us like children."

"We _are _children, Dan," Tom said. "None of us are adult age yet."

"Does it really matter?" Aneisha put in. "Come on." She grabbed Tom's hand and began to drag him to the lift, whilst Keri did the same with Dan. They said exchanged goodbyes with Frank and Stella before the lift doors closed and the highly trained M.I. High team left the top-secret underground base in a bid to claim some ice cream.

"Really?" Frank asked when the team had left. "Ice cream?"

"Whatever you say, they are children," Stella shrugged, sitting down at the table. Frank slid into the seat next to her.

"How's your side?" Frank asked. He could still see the bandages under her blouse.

"Getting better," Stella said vaguely. "How're your shoulders?"

"Perfectly fine," Frank replied. "Apparently they didn't use the rack properly." As if to demonstrate, he swung his arms in a circle, knocking Flopsy's cage onto the floor as he did so. Lucky Flopsy wasn't in the cage.

Frank blushed as he retrieved the cage, embarrassed by Stella's laugh of amusement.

"So what now?" Frank asked.

"We wait for the next mission," Stella said. "Life goes on. And also..."

Stella produced another two ice cream coupons from her pocket and showed them to Frank.

"Really?" Frank said in disbelief. "Dan, Keri, Tom and Aneisha are children, but we're not."

Stella didn't say anything in reply. She didn't need to.

"Alright," Frank said after a moment, giving in. "Let's go."


End file.
